Surface of the Sun, Part 8 (The Pink Pony.)

>You slept like a swaddling babe.
>In your sleep, you dreamed.
>You dreamed of flying.
>You dreamed of white wings, clouds, smiles, and laughter.
>Then...things got a little weird.
>The laughter warped, became bubbly and cheerful and not quite...serene.
>The clouds became pink, and the laughter grew, growing sharp and cruel.
>There was a great darkness in the sky, a great black hole where the sun should be, and...
>Was that Luna?
>With a gasp, you sit up, running a hand over your hair as you try to calm your racing heart.
>"Anonymous?"
>You look up at the voice, and the memories of the past day come flooding back.
>Celestia is sitting at her desk, a cup of coffee floating in the air next to her lips.
>Papers are piled up almost to the side of her face, and you blink at the massive amount of documents she's currently hoofing through.
"...Princess? You're awake? But-"
>"You overslept. I woke on my own this morning, rose the sun, you know. My usual routine."
"...Uh, isn't it my job to wake you up?"
>She gives you a small smile.
>"As I said...you overslept. And there's no alarm spell in my room. I simply decided to let you get some rest. You had quite the day yesterday, Anonymous."
"...Understatement."
>She smiles.
>"It comes with being part of the Royal Court, believe me, Anonymous."
"But...thanks for letting me sleep, Celestia."
>You stretch and jump out of bed.
"I'm on the job now, Princess. No more slacking off."
>She smirks and goes back to signing her letters.
>"It's a good thing you say that, Anonymous...things are about to get a little more...hectic around here."

"...Hectic? What do you mean by hectic, Princess?"
>She sighs and rubs her temples with her forehooves.
>"...I've sent for my student and her friends.
>"Do you mean...."
>"Yes, Anonymous. Twilight, and..."
"Pinkie Pie."
>"Pinkie Pie. One day, you are going to have to tell me what went wrong with you two."
"I'll do that the same day you apologize for punching her in the jaw."
>Celestia glares at you, her cheeks growing red.
>You roll your eyes.
"I apologize for my impudence, Princess! Please have mercy on my poor soul!"
>She gives another delicate sigh and rubs at her forehead again.
>"...Anonymous, please."
"Sorry, Princess. But seriously, why are you asking for Purplesmart and her band of sisters?"
>"...Purplesmart?"
"A nickname."
>Celestia arches on perfect eyebrow, but does not ask you to elaborate.
>"Well...Anonymous...I'm afraid the current situation is....rather serious."
"How serious? How hectic? Details, Princess, please."
>She gives you another look.
>"The Crystal Empire has returned."
"...The what?"
>"An ancient empire located in Northern Equestria, it-"
"Why is this a bad thing?"
>"It's ruler, King S-"
"Okay, I'm guessing evildark ruler, you need Purplesmart to slap his shit because otherwise, Equestria is-"
>"ANONYMOUS!"
"...I'll stop interrupting."
>"THANK YOU. And...yes. Sombra was...is, I suppose, a vile unicorn, a dark wizard of tremendous power. Which is why I am sending Twili-"
"Why don't you go yourself?"
>Celestia's face flickers through a series of emotions before settling on neutral.
>"...Because I have to test her."

"Test her?"
>"Do not ask."
"Test her for WHAT?"
>"Anonymous."
"You're testing Twilight? You're testing my friend?"
>"Anonymous."
"You're TESTING her by sending her against some crazy ancient wizard-ki-"
>"ANONYMOUS."
>The stacks of paper on her desk exploded outwards, and your teeth rattle as the raw power in Celestia's voice slams into you.
>She remains seated at her desk, looking at you sternly, her hair billowing around her in that unseen solar wind.
>"Do not question me. Not in this."
>You fall silent, sitting down on her bed with a heavy sigh.
"...Is Pinkie going?"
>"I thought I-"
"Is. Pinkie. Going?"
>Silence.
>You look at your feet, at your shaking hands, anywhere but that neutral mask of a face.
>"...Yes."
>More silence. You sit there, staring at your hands, your mind racing.
>Something warm and soft touches your shoulder.
>You look up.
>Princess Celestia of Equestria embraces you in her wings, and lays her head on your shoulder.
"...Will she be okay?"
>"Anonymous...I know you still care for her...as do I. I would not send a friend of my student's into danger without being -sure- she will be safe."
>You smile, and thrown an arm around her neck.
"...You promise?"
>She offers no hesitation.
>"You have my word."
"Really? You weren't too concerned with her welfare when you punched her in the face."
>Celestia's wings flutter.
>"I...err...that was..."
"What was it you said? 'He's mine?'"
>Celestia's face is redder than the setting sun.

>"I was intoxicated."
"...And? You know what they say, right? When you're drunk, the truth tends to come out."
>"...That is the most foolish saying I have -ever- heard."
>You grin at her as she flaps her wings and looks anywhere but your face.
>"..."
>"...We will not discuss this again."
>You sketch out a fake bow.
"BUT OF COURSE, YOUR MAJESTY. YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND."
>She scowls at you and bats at you with a wing.
>"Stop that!"
"Or what?"
>"I'll fire you!"
"Noooo you wooooon't."
>Celestia makes a face, turns around, and 'Hmmphs,' in a very imperious manner.
>You chuckle.
"I'm just teasing you, Princess. Trying to lighten the mood, you know?"
>She refuses to turn around, her wings rustling.
>You frown and stand up.
>"If you will excuse me, Anonymous, my student should be arriving soon. I should be prepared to greet her."
"Oh come on, Celestia-"
>"Your duties are suspended for the day, Anonymous. I have much to prepare."
>Without another word, she seemingly explodes in a burst of white light and vanishes.
>You sigh.
>You probably shouldn't push her so much, especially when things were getting so...stressful.
>But it was honestly too hilarious not to do.
>You shrug and get up.
>You had a whole free day. No reason not to have a little fun.
>You open the door to Celestia's room, mock salute the two Royal Guards stationed outside, and begin your march to the kitchen.
>You hum to yourself as you go, already looking forward to the idea of a waffle with some light, fluffy scrambled eggs.
>It's a shame your humming masks the pitter patter of four little hooves as somep0ny begins to follow you.

>The best perk about your new job?
>The Royal Kitchens, no doubt.
>Chefs cooked every hour of the day to provide the Princesses, the Guard, and various nobleponies with the finest foods in the kingdom.
>And boy could they cook.
>You licked your lips as you entered the 'mess-hall', which looked more like a grand ballroom with massive tables than any kind of cafeteria.
>Oh yes, the kitchen was definitely the best part of working with royalty.
>Because Celestia often had to host foreign diplomats from other nations.
>Like the griffons.
>Who ate meat.
>Which meant you could have meat whenever you wanted.
>Which meant sausage, eggs, and hash browns for breakfast.
>You made small talk with the chefs as they prepared your delicious morning meal.
>The chefs cooked in shifts to service every member of the royal courts with a fresh-cooked meal, and their efforts truly showed.
>You took your plate and sat down at one of the long tables, already digging into your eggs with a content sigh.
>You always saved the sausage for last.
>You remember all too well your time without meat back in Ponyville.
>It didn't matter how many awesome friends you had.
>Waking up to a world without bacon every day of your life was a tough thing to swallow.
>You grin as you finish off your eggs and move to your hasbrowns.
"God bless foreign diplomats."
>When you get started on the sausage, a jolt of warning runs down your spine.
>Cold fear washes through you as you look at the table near your plate.
>The fear, you think, is natural, justified. It tells you to run, and you wish you would listen.
>Because there is a cake here, next to your plate.
>A cake that should not be.

>You slowly set your fork down with trembling hands.
>The cake remains where it is.
>You stare at it, the cake that should not be.
>You know what it represents.
>You know what fresh hell awaits you this morning.
>It will not take you. Not today.
>You stare into that eldritch frosting, and it remains there.
>Sitting on your table.
>MENACINGLY.
>You get up, abruptly, and the cake shifts, just as you knew it would.
>You dash for the door as the cake behind you seems to -implode-, consumed from the inside by the monster that lurked beneath it's sugary goodness.
"YOU WILL NOT HAVE ME, PINK DEMON!"
>You hear the short burst of hooves scrabbling on the floor as your personal tormentor comes bounding after you.
>You know how this goes.
>You know her tricks.
>Sliding to a stop, you turn and kick the doors closed, screaming something vaguely Japanese as it slams shut on her snout.
>You turn and spy the hallway before you, before ignoring it completely.
>She'd -expect- you to go that way.
>Instead, you turn and leverage the window open.
>Your eyes catch a flash of pink in the green grass below as she races around the castle, obviously trying to come at you from the hallway.
>You leverage yourself out the window and drop, tucking into a roll as you hit the grass of the Palace Garden.
>She would have heard that.
>That mare has INSANE hearing.
>You quickly dive into a nearby bush as the hooves come padding back around the side of the palace.
>You hold your breath as she trots past, ears and tail twitching like mad.
>Her sense is active. You have little time.
>You get ready to leave, when you see it. A sticky note on your right hand.

>You feel your heart drop to your shoes as you glance quickly at the note, already knowing what it's going to say.
>"Look behind y-"
>NOPE.
>You don't turn around, bursting into a run towards the statues.
>You hear a surprised squeak from behind you as you go, followed by the sound of hooves on grass.
>She NEVER saw that one coming.
>You vault over a low hanging bush and scrabble up the side of the Statue of Discord, gasping as you climb.
>She doesn't have fingers.
>This buys you time.
>You turn around to scan the landscape, and sure enough, not a flash of pink in sight.
>But she won't give up that easy.
>You and her both know you can't hang on top of a stone Chaos God all day.
>...The pond.
>It's your only chance.
>You leap from the statue, gasping as you hear the hooves on grass again.
>You vault over bush walls, climbing statues to give you an advantage in height.
>She plows through them in great bursts of foliage as you run through the hedge maze.
>You're going to make it.
>You see it, that great pool of sparkling blue.
>Just a dive and a quick swim, and you'll...
>The hooves have stopped making their ever-present sound.
>You sigh and come to a halt.
>It's over.
>You turn around, scowling, and prepare to meet your inevitable fate.
>There is nothing behind you but a fairly disheveled hedge maze.
>Something large, furry, and wet slams into your back.
>You fall to ground beneath her, still scowling.
>As you recover from your faceplant, you look up into a pair of crystal blue eyes.
"...How was that?"
>"A new record by...*gasp*...THIRTEEN SECONDS! I knew you could do it, Annie!"
"...Hello Pinkie."

>You roll over onto your back, grimacing and preparing your bo-
>WHAM.
>Yep, there it is.
>The tackle hug from hell.
>Pinkie squeezes you so hard you're pretty sure you're going to shit out your heart in about five seconds.
"Nice...to see you...too...Pinkie Pie."
>"Oh Anon I missed you so much! After that night at the bar I thought that crazy mare kidnapped you or hurt you or something!"
"I'm fine, Pinkie! Well...aside from you crushing my lungs."
>"...Oh."
>Pinkie hops off of you with a small squeak of apology, allowing you to sit up and try to brush some of the grass off your suit.
"What are you even doing here, Pinks?"
>"Oh! Princess Celestia called Twilight here for some magical test thingy!"
"...Right, the test."
>Pinkie's eyes get WIDE.
>"You know about Twilight's test!?"
"...Uh...a little of it, yeah."
>"So....what's it on?"
"Can't say. National security reasons."
>"Pleeeaaase?"
"Nope."
>"Anon."
"Nope."
>"Anon I will bake you a pie."
"..."
>"I will bake you an apple pie. With AJ's apples. And ice cream. And-"
"Pinkie, I -really- can't tell you. Part of the job."
>For a moment, she looks a little downtrodden.
>"Oh...right...the job."
"Pinkie...don't give me that face."
>"...You know I -am- happy for you, right Anon?"
"Are you?"
>"I didn't come here to fight about this, Anon. I just wanted to...see you."
>You look away from her, chastened.
"...Sorry. It's just...when I wanted to come here..."
>"I know. I know what I said. I know what I did. But that's...in the past, right?"
>You lean over and give her a hug around the neck.
"We can talk about it later, okay? It's just...nice to see you. In a non-crazy place."

>Pinkie giggles and swings herself up around your shoulders.
>"That was one CRAAAAAAAAAZY party, wasn't it?"
"Uh...yeah. Sorry about...Sunny. She gets crazy when she drinks."
>Pinkie makes a 'hmmmmm' noise as she clings to you in a Pinkieback ride.
>"...Right, about Sunny..."
>You almost come to a halt.
"No, we're not together. She's just a friend."
>"That's not exactly what I was gonna as-"
"SO. HOW'S PONYVILLE BEEN SINCE I'VE BEEN GONE?"
>"Anon."
"Hmm?"
>"You're doing that thing again."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
>"That thing, where you have something on your mind but you get all manic and panicky-pants because you don't want me to know about it."
"...Curse you, silly pink horse."
>She bats you on the back of the head with her hoof, but you know she doesn't mean it.
>You always called her that, and her name for you was...
>"So how's my funny monkey doing?"
>That.
>God DAMN you hated that nickname.
"Pinkie...you know how I feel about 'funny monkey'."
>"And you know how I feel about silly pink horse."
>You glare at her over your shoulder, and she glares back.
>In the game of who's going to smirk first, you lose. You can't help it.
>Those giant blue eyes make you smile every time.
>She giggles at your smile, and you scowl and turn to march the pair of you into the castle.
>"You smiled."
"Did not."
>"Diiiid tooooo."
"I'm not playing this game with you, Pinkie."
>"Awwwww, but you love games! And you still haven't answered my question!"
"Hmm, what question? I've quite forgotten."
>It's Pinkie's turn to scowl.
>"I want to hear about Canterlot! How is it!? Are there any nice parties going on? Any...hmmm...mares you've seen?"

"...Are you asking me about my love life?"
>She rolls her eyes while clinging to your back.
>"Maaaaaaybe?"
"Didn't you always say you'd never be 'that ex'?"
>"I said a lot of things!"
"No, no, I remember this one. Clearly. We used to make fun of exes like this."
>She rolls her eyes before giggling again.
>"Okay, okay, Anon, maybe I -am- being 'that ex'. Can you blame me for being curious? The first time I see you I get punched out by the mare you came with! Just what HAVE you been telling them about me?"
"...Nothing."
>"Nothing? Really?"
"Yep."
>"Well that's disappointing."
>You reply in a sing-song voice.
"Being 'that ex' again!"
>Pinkie 'harrumphs' and crosses her forelegs over your head.
>The two of you walk like that for her a while, her hitching a ride on your back as you re-enter the palace.
>"So...Sunny."
"Is a nice, sweet mare when she's sober. Besides, why are we talkin' about mares? How are you? How's the Corner?"
>Pinkie shrugs.
>"The Cakes let me babysit more, so that's a plus. I've been thinking about moving out, actually! Starting my own baking business!"
"Thought of any names?"
>"Hmmmm....nope, not yet! I was thinking of something that started with D..."
>She taps her chin with a hoof.
>"Oh well! How is it being a super-duper important Royal Butler?"
>You think about the past 48 hours.
"...Uneventful."
>"Really?"
"Yep. Celestia pretty much sits on her flank all day. And Luna..."
>You stop suddenly and count the shadows.
"Luna's fucking crazy."
>"Anon!"
"She is! Just...Pinkie, seriously. Your Princess needs a psychiatrist."
>Pinkie giggles at you.
>"Wellllll, you already know what question I'm going to ask next..."
>Here we go.
>"Have you met anyp0ny?"

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AJmKkU5POA
>...There's only one way to answer that, really.
>You feel the music start to flow through you as you walk along, Pinkie clinging to your shoulders.
>She had a way of bringing that out in you. After all, you and her used to sing duets when you were together.
"I'm not surprised, not everything lasts. I've broken my heart so many times I stopped keeping track."
>Pinkie winces a little at that line.
"I get all worked up then I let myself down."
>You remember when you asked out a certain pink mare. And...for some reason, your thoughts turn to that first day, when you were running out of your apartment to find your new job...
"I tried so very hard not to loose it. I came up with a million excuses. I thought, I thought of every possibility."
>You remember the horror of your first day at this job. You remember that horror turning to joy. You remember the sunrise.
"And I know some day that it'll all turn out. You'll make me work so we can work to work it out."
>Working alongside the Princess through the dull Court days, through the diplomatic madness of yesterday.
"And I promise you kid that I give so much more than I get."
>You smile and skip along to the beat of the song as Pinkie hums along with you.
"I just haven't met you yet."
>You remember your dreams.
>White wings.
>A thought strikes you as Pinkie giggles and sings along with you.
>It's a good thing, too, because sudden terror has stolen your speech
>Pinkie nuzzles your neck as she brings the song to a close.
>...You're lying. You -have- met her.

>Shitshitshit.
>Pinkie nuzzles you again.
>"That song was SO sweet, Anon!"
>You sigh.
"Pinkie."
>She's still nuzzling you.
"PINKIE."
>She gives you an innocent blink.
>"Yes?"
"You know I wasn't...it wasn't a song for -us-, right? Us isn't a thing anymore, remember?"
>Pinkie just hums.
>"Not noooow we aren't. But we might be again later~."
>Oh God. That tone. You could never resist that tone.
>She hops down off your shoulders, giggling as you go through a series of facial spasms.
"But I thought....Canterlot was...I mean...too far for...and you thought I'd forget..."
>"Well, you haven't forgotten me, have you?"
>Her eyes grow big and watery.
"...No. No I haven't."
>"Yay!"
>Her face does a complete 180 as she grins and jumps into your arms.
>You can't help but smile as she rubs her poofy mane on your chest.
>You missed Pinkie Pie hugs.
>She looks up at you, those blue eyes sparkling.
>"...Anon?"
"Yeah?"
>"...I really do miss you."
"I miss you too, Pinks."
>"And I'm sorry for...what I said the day you moved out. I just..."
"One of your moods, right?"
>She does a short giggle that ends in a snort.
>"I love that! Moods! Hah! Umm....yeah. I...shouldn't have said some of what I said."
"It's okay, Pinkie. I forgive you. We can talk about it later, alright?"
>"Right, later....OH! I have to get back to the girls! They think I'm buying supplies for my party cannon!"
"...They still fall for that?"
>She rolls her eyes.
>"Duh!"
>You both embrace, laughing.
"...Hey Pinkie?"
>"Hmmm?"
"Be safe."
>She gives you a puzzled look as you set her on the ground.
>"Of course, Anon. I'm always safe!"
>You embrace one last time, and then she's off, hopping away.

Epilogue
>Whatever Celestia was doing with Twilight, she still wasn't willing to see you when it was over.
>You found, to your immense lack of surprise, that you missed her.
>The castle was even more boring without someone to talk to.
>Without HER to talk to.
>As you wandered the alabaster halls and gilded columns, you found your mind turning more and more...
>Back to her.
>Her smile, her wings, her eyes, that almost unnoticeable pout she got when she was upset....
>You frown.
>You were terrified.
>Because Pinkie was right.
>You have 'met her'.
>She was just wrong about the pony of your dreams.
>You sigh and run a hand over your head as you lean against a column.
>Why did Pinkie have to come back into your life TODAY? Even...briefly.
>You had enough stress trying to keep up with the resident God-Empress.
>...God you hoped Pinkie was okay.
>You needed a rest.
>You close your eyes, planning on a brief, VERY brief little nap.
>Just a li-
>Two MASSIVE white eyes open up in your mind's eye, and a furious voice thunders through your mind.
>"DID YOU CALL US FUCKING CRAZY!?"
>You wake up screaming.